Quarterback Jack Colosimo (5) — who scored the Tigers’ only points last Friday in a 21-6 road loss to Maiden on a kickoff return — will lead Fred T. Foard against Bandys at Foard at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night./PHOTO COURTESY OF OBSERVER NEWS ENTERPRISE
By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
FRIDAY’S VARSITY GAMES (Aug. 24)
Editor’s note: All statistical totals referenced are unofficial and historical information is from research and files of HobbsDailyReport.com that dates back to the 1980 season (or before).
Foard has as three-game win streak against Bandys
BANDYS (1-0) at FRED T. FOARD (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
As the Trojans and Tigers meet for the 57th time, Bandys will attempt to snap Foard’s win streak in the series at three games.
Bandys leads the series 39-16-1, which includes going 14-2 at Foard since the 1982 season with Foard’s only home wins coming in 1982 (21-0) and in 2016 (34-18).
Bandys at Fred T. Foard is the WNNC 101.3 FM feature game this week. Go to mytotalradio.com to listen
Returning Tigers QB Jack Colosimo led the 2016 victory with scoring runs of 69, 29 and 20 yards, finishing with 107 rushing yards on eight carries.
Foard, coming off a 21-6 loss at Maiden to open the season last Friday night, is riding a four-game home win streak. The Tigers’ offense did not score in that loss, as Colosimo’s kickoff return TD provided Foard’s points.
The Tigers are 12-13 under head coach Derrick Minor, in his third year at Foard, and Tom Eanes won his debut game as Trojans head coach last Friday by beating visiting St. Stephens 42-28.
Eanes, in his 30th season as a head coach, will coach in his 337th game and is two wins shy of 150 for his career.
Bandys ran for 408 yards against St. Stephens, outlasting the Indians after building a 21-0 lead that featured a kickoff (Jacob Ellis, 89 yards) and punt return (Isaiah Talbert, 59 yards) for TDs before the offense made a snap. In records back to 1980, the Trojans had never had a game with a kickoff return and punt return for a TD in the same game.
Bandys senior RB Ethan Howard, unofficially, is 104 yards shy of 2,500 in career rushing.
Maiden has won nine times in 11 games in Burke County since 1980.
MAIDEN (1-0) at EAST BURKE (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
The Blue Devils visit Icard for the fourth time as the series reaches seven games.
Maiden has won three straight at East Burke after falling 21-20 in their first meeting, a season-opener in 2007 in Icard.
It’s game No. 26 for former Maiden wide receiver Will Byrne as head coach (20-5), and it will be the 12th game for the Blue Devils against the current four Burke County schools (9-2 overall, 5-1 in Burke).
Maiden opened by beating Fred T. Foard 21-6 in Maiden last Friday night behind new starting QB Bain Sipe, who threw for more than 200 yards.
East Burke opened with a 42-0 victory at West Caldwell, handing head coach Mark Buffamoyer his 13th career win and his third in 12 games with the Cavs. His other victories were as head coach at West Caldwell.
St. Stephens has a four-game win streak against Bunker Hill and has won 10 of the last 14 matchups.
BUNKER HILL (0-1) at ST. STEPHENS (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
The Bears and Indians battle for the 38th time since 1980 with Bunker Hill up 19-17-1 in those games.
St. Stephens has won four straight in the series after the Bears ran off four consecutive victories, and the Indians have won 10 of the last 14 matchups.
Bunker Hill seeks the first career win for head coach Patrick Clark, who came over from an assistant’s role at Maiden.
Newton-Conover smashed Bunker Hill 56-0 in Claremont last Friday night in Clark’s debut.
St. Stephens rallied from a three-TD deficit last Friday night at Bandys but fell 42-28 despite getting nearly 240 yards passing from sophomore QB Connor Williams. Nine of his throws (for 214 yards) went to Zach Lee and three were for TDs.
The Bears are 6-10-1 at St. Stephens since the 1982 season, last winning on Springs Road in 2013 (39-26) when Colton Chapman had 82 rushing yards on six carries, two rushing TDs, a 27-yard field goal and four PATs. Jordan Eckard added 18 carries for 123 yards in that Bears win.
A victory would get St. Stephens head coach Wayne Hicks to 20 wins in his sixth season with the Indians (19-39).
Hibriten has 15 straight victories over county rival West Caldwell that includes seven straight at home… the Warriors haven’t won at Hibriten since 2002.
WEST CALDWELL (0-1) at HIBRITEN (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
The Warriors and Panthers meet for the 39th time since the 1980 season in a series that Hibriten has taken a tight grip on with 15 straight victories.
Hibriten is riding three current streaks – 17 straight as a defending state champion that went 16-0 last year, 13 straight regular-season wins and 10 consecutive wins at home.
The Panthers opened with a 41-7 win last Friday night at Concord Robinson, pushing head coach Clay Lewis’ career record to 82-28.
East Burke shut out West Caldwell 42-0 last Friday night, leaving Warriors head coach DeVore Holman at 6-7 with the Warriors and 28-28 in his career (in sixth season).
Hibriten’s win streak at home against West Caldwell is seven with the Warriors’ last win there coming in 2002 (30-21), a night that Darren Dula ran 19 times for 160 yards and four TDs on runs of 13, 62, 30 and 2 yards.
Wilkes Central has beaten Alexander Central only four times in 26 games since 1980, and the Cougars have won 14 straight games in the series.
WILKES CENTRAL (0-1) at
ALEXANDER CENTRAL (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
The Eagles and Cougars renew a series that has been dominated by Alexander Central since 1980 (22-4).
Alexander Central has seven straight wins over Wilkes Central in Taylorsville and 14 straight in the series.
The game is a return to Taylorsville for Wilkes Central head coach Ron Turner, who worked as a Cougars assistant before later becoming head coach at Bunker Hill. He is 37-47 overall and 32-18 in North Wilkesboro (28-6 previous three seasons).
Wilkes Central is 2-9 at Alexander Central since the 1982 season, the only wins coming in 1987 and in 1992.
The Eagles won the 1992 game 17-10, sparked by a rushing TD and an 87-yard TD reception from Fred Ferguson.
Alexander Central head coach Butch Carter picked up his 122nd career coaching win and improved to 17-7 with the Cougars in last Friday night’s 40-7 victory at Burns.
North Iredell nipped Wilkes Central 20-14 last Friday night to open the season.
Draughn has never beaten Freedom, going 0-9, as the Wildcats visit the Patriots for the fifth time.
DRAUGHN (0-1) at FREEDOM (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
The Wildcats and Patriots meet for the 10th time with Draughn still looking for its first win in the series.
Freedom is 4-0 at home against Draughn, winning by a combined score of 166-32, and is chasing the first Freedom win for new head coach Luke Little.
The Patriots were the first Greater Hickory area team to start the season, falling 31-21 at Freedom on Aug. 15 in a game moved up because Shelby High was playing host to the American Legion World Series.
West Lincoln hammered Draughn 53-0 last Friday night at Draughn in the debut of Chris Powell as head coach.
Patton goes for its third straight win over the Hilltoppers.
PATTON (0-1) at R-S CENTRAL (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
The Panthers and Hilltoppers meet for the sixth time with Patton riding a two-game win streak in the series and leading it 3-2.
Patton has been to R-S Central twice, falling 21-7 in 2010 and winning 15-14 in 2012 when Nick Conklin ran for a score and threw for another.
Patton opened last Friday night, in head coach Jonathan Browining’s debut, with a 49-0 loss to Hunter Huss in Gastonia.
McDowell topped the Hilltoppers 22-7 at R-S Central last Friday.
South Caldwell is 0-3 against Kings Mountain, falling there 14-0 in the last visit in 1988.
SOUTH CALDWELL (0-0) at
KINGS MOUNTAIN (0-0) 7:30 p.m.
It’s the season opener for both schools as they face off for the fourth time.
The Mountaineers are 3-0 against the Spartans, winning in Hudson in 1987, at Kings Mountain the next year and in Hudson (54-6) last season.
Marc Kirkpatrick starts his second year as head coach at his alma mater, coming off a 1-11 record that included advancing to the state playoffs because the Spartans had the best record among the Northwestern 3A-4A’s 4A teams in 2017.
South Caldwell hasn’t played at Kings Mountain since 1988, falling 14-0, and that was a Spartans team that had only five players score points that season — Daren Hart, Scott Parham, Rodney Carter, Butch Carter and Chad Mullis.
OTHER AREA GAMES
Lincolnton (0-1) at South Point (0-1), 7:30 p.m.: The Wolves will try to rebound from a 44-6 loss at Stuart Cramer. Crest downed the Red Raiders 28-11 last Friday night to open the season.
Pine Lake Prep (1-0) at Lake Norman Charter (0-1), 7:30 p.m.: Lake Norman Charter opens its home schedule in Mark Steele’s 37th game as head coach.
SouthLake Christian defeated the Knights 21-17 last Friday night while Pine Lake Prep opened with a 21-14 overtime victory over Northside Christian.
West Iredell (1-0) at South Iredell (0-1), 7:30 p.m.: The Warriors chase career win No. 10 for head coach Monte Simmons, a former Hibriten assistant, when they travel to play the Vikings.
Rocky River downed South Iredell 26-9 last Friday night to open the season.
Ashe County (1-0) at Watauga (1-0), 7:30 p.m.: The Pioneers responded well after losing their starting QB early in the game and won their opener last Friday night 36-12 at Asheville Roberson.
Watauga is on an eight-game home win streak and has won 14 straight regular-season games in Boone.
A victory would get Pioneers head coach Ryan Habich to 95 in his 11th season. His Watauga teams are 44-19 and he is in his sixth year in Boone.
Ashe County won its opener last Friday night 50-7 over Avery County.
HABICH TALKS ABOUT FRIDAY’S GAME: https://www.goblueridge.net/index.php/sports/39723-whs-ashe-county-friday-at-6-30-p-m-on-wata
McDowell (1-0) at Avery County (0-1), 7:30 p.m.: The Titans play their 25th game under head coach Andy Morgan and are going for his ninth win in Marion (8-16).
The Titans won their opener last Friday 22-7 at R-S Central while Avery County fell 50-7 against Avery County.